In the Men’s Hockey India League (HIL), Tamil Nadu Dragons and Soorma Hockey Club have secured their Semifinal spots.
Tamil Nadu Dragons clinched the semifinal spot after a dramatic 2-2 draw against UP Rudras at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, yesterday. The Rudras took a strong 2-0 lead in the first quarter with goals from Sudeep Chirmako and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay. However, the Dragons fought back with penalty corner goals from Jip Janssen and Thomas Sorsby in the second half. The Rudras won the penalty shootout 3-2 in sudden death to earn a bonus point, but it wasn’t enough to qualify. The Dragons advanced with 17 points, while the Rudras finished fifth with 15.
In another clash of the day, Soorma Hockey Club also secured their semifinal berth with a 3-0 penalty shootout victory over Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers in their final Pool match. Gurjant Singh gave Soorma the lead in the 10th minute, but Jugraj Singh equalized for the Tigers in the 56th minute. The match went to penalties, where Soorma’s Harmanpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, and Victor Wegnez scored, while goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch made three crucial saves.
With this result, the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, Hyderabad Toofans, Soorma Hockey Club, and Tamil Nadu Dragons complete the semifinal lineup.
Tamil Nadu Dragons now face the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers in the first semifinal tomorrow, while the JSW Soorma Hockey Club will take on the Hyderabad Toofans in their second semifinal.
